“Sex isn’t something men do to you. It isn’t something men get out of you.

Sex is something you dive into with gusto and like it every bit as much as he does.”

~ Nina Hartley

“[makelovenotporn.com] is not anti-porn. I’m a fan of hard-core porn. I watch it myself…but because the porn industry is driven by men, funded by men, managed by men, directed by men and targeted at men, porn tends to present one world view: Porn says ‘This is the way it is.’ And what I want to say is, ‘Not necessarily.’”

~ Cindy Gallop

Can Pornography be a Catalyst for Spiritual Growth?

{Warning: Adult}

Imagine a society where sexuality is an acceptable part of everyday culture.

Where children are taught to appreciate their bodies, rather than fear them.

Where it’s not just ‘normal’, but encouraged to explore the depths of one’s sexual desire, kinks and all.

Where sex ed isn’t squeezed into a semester of gym class and taught by some ex-football player who keeps stumbling over the word ‘vagina.’

Now return here, to the center of 21st century America. Sexuality, especially female sexuality, is a battlefield for possession and control, as evidenced by the current controversy surrounding abortion, planned parenthood and the definition of rape. Our most touted (and emotionally safest) form of sexual education is fear, a.k.a. ‘don’t do it, unless you want to get a disease or unwanted pregnancy. ‘ Archaic sodomy laws linger on the books in many states and the legal recognition of same-sex marriages remains several election years away from nationwide acceptance.

We are a society that’s afraid of sex and we’re too proud and frightened to admit it.

Of course, many may argue that we are inundated with sex: everywhere you turn there is a picture of a half-naked woman selling beer, another article on how have mind-blowing orgasms or a sleazy site dedicated to porn.

In fact many sexual naysayers are within this very community: people who profess that they are tired of seeing elephant journal stooping to fashion magazine-level material and discussions on porn.

However, as evidenced by the fact that the number one elephant journal article for the past five weeks has been a nude yoga class led by a Playboy model, I think we can safely say that all of us (even the sanctimonious yogis) aren’t done with sex yet.

Of course, we aren’t watching her to perfect our Adho Mukha Svanasana. We watch her because she’s naked and hot. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, just as there is nothing wrong with feeling aroused when we see two people having sex.

Regardless of our opinions of what we see, we are often affected on a primal, physical level by watching porn—whether it’s engorgement of our genitals, watering of our mouths or flushing of our cheeks. It’s all an example of orgasm bubbling to the surface. Whether or not we are in agreement with our experience determines whether this orgasm expresses itself as turn-on (yes, I’m present and totally accept what is arising for me) or tumescence (what the fuck is this BS!?).

Moral indignation is our usual ‘go to’ response when we experience this tumescence. It’s just too easy (or rather lazy) to disown our own responsibility while watching porn and sit in righteousness: How dare Playboy commercialize something as sacred as yoga? We get to feel ‘right’—and there is nothing more satisfying than ‘being right.’ We get to have a place to project our anger (fucking misogynists) and shame (I’m not as pretty as she is), instead of doing the dirty work of admitting just how hungry and—dare I say it—perverted we just might be.

But I wonder: what makes sitting in YabYum any more ‘conscious’ or ‘spiritual’ than a dude just looking to get his jerk on (or off)? In fact, tantric philosophy espouses that everything is fuel for spiritual transformation. Who are we to judge what is the next right step in the evolution of one’s sexual maturation? Besides, if we spent all our time persecuting everyone who‘s ever watched porn, there wouldn’t be a single male (or a goodly number of females) left.

Now, if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not a huge fan of Playboy’s yoga video, just as I’m not a huge fan of conventional, i.e. male-marketed & produced, porn. It can feel cheesy, often fake and is simply not to my taste. I feel like much of what mainstream media bombards us with lacks authentic desire and is meant to capitalize on insecurity and ignorance. It tamps down our ability to feel rather than invites us to sit in the uncomfortable magnitude of our orgasmic power. It’s something I call ‘SEX-sationalism.’ It is meant to titillate and entice, but rarely satisfies—sort of like Chinese food for your cock.

From a business standpoint this makes sense: if you satiate the customer, then they will not need to buy from you again. But if give him a hit off the sexual crack pipe while keeping the fantasy just out of reach, he will continue to throw money at you in the hope that one day, his needs will be satisfied and thus beginning the addiction (in fact, I found a website with the slogan ‘Porn is the answer to all your problems’).

Therefore, it’s the addiction, rather than the porn per se, that can contribute to marital breakups and intimacy problems. This doesn’t absolve the porn industry from responsibility (frequently depicting woman as decorative jizz receptacles doesn’t help), but it can’t be our scapegoat either.

Unfortunately, we’ve become a nation of Marlboro men masquerading to disguise the fact that we have no idea what to do with a woman’s pussy and hide our fantasies that may (gasp!) involve another man.

On the other side, we’ve become a nation of Cosmo women, who act like we’ve got it together in bed, but have absolutely no sense of our own pleasure. Or we hang on to our virginity for dear life (as if anyone could actually possess such a thing) lest we be thought of as unworthy for marriage.

With all this culturally ingrained pretending, it’s no wonder we fear speaking about sex to our children, who then have to resort to the next best thing for a sexual education: surreptitiously discovered pornography, which, thanks to the digital age, more readily accessible than ever.

Also, if porn is the primary children’s sex educator, then many get a limiting download of how sex should be: the woman has to be skinny with big boobs, the man has to have a giant cock, she has to scream like a banshee, has to pound her hard and fast and the sex ends when they concomitantly cum and he spectacularly ejaculates somewhere near her orifice. Even the supposedly ‘artistic’ porn, X-Art, adheres to this formula, complete with hot, 20-something post-coitally ogling the camera as if the viewer was the one who just ‘fucked her good.’

Therefore, if we wish to be the primary educators for our children and foster their sexual health, we must take a look at healing our own sexuality, And if we wish to liberate ourselves as sexual beings, we cannot continue to scrutinize pornography from the lens of shame and judgment; we must be open-minded and curious enough to investigate the need that pornography serves rather than relegating it to the recesses of our shadows.

Which led me to ask the question, “How has pornography affected you positively?”

I know, asking if porn can help with sexual education and healing may seem a little like asking McDonald’s for nutritional advice. But I wanted to plunge below the ‘icky’ surface of addiction and shame and focus on what’s good about porn. By changing our relationship to it from within we can learn its secrets and change our actions on the outside.

For many, the answer was simple: it’s fun. It makes them feel good. Seeing images of beautiful women is a pleasurable experience, and, if kept as an occasional treat and in total transparency with partner(s), can contribute to a well-rounded sexual diet.

An answer that came up repeatedly for women was that it was the first time they had ever seen a female in a state of orgasm, i.e. a woman who was actually enjoying herself during sex. No guilt about taking her own pleasure or touching her own body (my friend, Vixen on the Loose, even wrote a little haiku about it).

Also, for some, porn was the first time they saw someone doing something ‘taboo’ and discovered that they themselves liked it. Perhaps it was around homosexuality, threesomes, anal sex or some BDSM kink that they never thought would have turned them on, but upon watching porn, made that discovery in their own sexuality.

Some couples incorporate porn as a way to ‘spice up’ their sex life. Perhaps by watching and masturbating together or by imitating some of the sexy positions on the screen. In my own life, I’ve sucked a guy’s cock or fucked a man while he watches porn—not because he’s asked me to, but from my own desire. For me, there’s something fun about being an active participant in his fantasy and feeling him squirm in agony as all that sensation builds to a peak.

For other couples, it can be a starting point for better communication, not just around sexual desires, but also around sexual fears and shadows. Being vulnerable enough to say to your partner, “I notice this feeling of betrayal when you watch porn and I have a fear that I can never live up to your fantasies” or “I feel ashamed when I watch porn and feel like I have to hide it from you” immediately unmasks both people and deepens the intimacy in the relationship.

Finally, it can be quite liberating or the only place one feels free to literally ‘let it all hang out.’ For some people who have gone years in stifling relationships or have had no sexual partners, porn has been their only outlet and anchor to their sexuality.

With this understanding of the value that porn provides some people, i.e. fun, education, personal discovery, variety, communication and liberation, I then asked myself the question: can we then use porn as a tool for our sexual & spiritual awakening, rather than as an escape from our own fear?

Many people are already working to make that shift: from porn as patriarchal society-driven cash cow to cultural exploration of authentic sexuality.

Forthegirls.com, where some of my material has appeared, is a porn site dedicated to erotica and porn from a feminist perspective. This means that female pleasure, still a longstanding taboo, and taste is valued. The site also includes toy reviews, advice and erotic writings to stimulate the mind. From my perspective, this can be a jumping off point for women to reclaim their sexuality and take that out into their relationships.

Someone who has been an insider activist within the industry is porn star Nina Hartley, who, incidentally also incorporates Buddhist philosophy into her life (see video below starting around 43:30). She’s worked tirelessly to promote sexual education as well as defend the porn industry’s right to exist as place where classy, well-spoken and mentally-sane sex workers can create porn with a point-of-view about sex (as opposed to widget-making porn whose only interest is in generating money). She has also worked to eliminate illegal drug use from porn culture and encourage ‘safe sex’ practices, including eliminating alcohol from sexual encounters so people can make more conscious decisions.

Two more sex-positive advocates are Jamye Waxman, a writer and sex educator, and Candida Royalle, a sensuality pioneer. Jamye runs the website gasm.org, which features a variety of sex educators (including porn advocates) sharing their knowledge on a wide variety of topics. Candida was one of the first female entrepreneurs in the adult entertainment industry, spearheading female-oriented porn and porn with the goal of helping couples in therapy.

Finally, a trailblazer in the porn revolution is Cindy Gallop, founder of makelovenotporn.com & makelovenotporn.tv. While she’s not creating the porn herself, she is hosting the forum for viewers to create their own porn, or as she calls it, #realworldsex. She originally hatched the idea for makelovenotporn after multiple sexual experiences with younger men who tried to recreate what they have seen in porn, most notably the infamous cum-on-her-face money shot. She wanted to begin a dialogue comparing what we seen in porn to what we experience in real life and through this dialogue, begin to dispel the myths we have around sex.

This dialogue then spawned the TV site, where people can create and upload their own sex videos. Makelovenotporn.tv is different from conventionally-produced porn in three distinct and vital ways.

1. Desire. The people you see on the screen are not actors (though not necessarily unprofessional). This means that they are having sex with someone they actually like. They are internally motivated to do what feels good for them in the moment, as opposed to the director telling what to do so it will look good for the camera. And they are certainly not adhering to any sort of A+B=C sexual script. Again, this is #realworldsex, #realworldfeelings, #realworldrelationships, #realworldeverything.

2. Vulnerability. The people in the videos aren’t surgically enhanced starlets or schlong supermen. They are human, with normal-looking (and beautiful) bodies. Also, the sex they have isn’t ‘perfect.’ A slip, a bump, something unexpected flies at them, they laugh and roll with it—thus adding a level of humanity back into the experience. In the short intros preceding each video, the performers themselves give highlights of their favorite moments and will even reveal an insecurity or two they felt while taping. You as a viewer become less of passive voyeur and can more easily connect with the people onscreen. In fact, videos are categorized by feeling words, i.e. romping, gushing, cozy, yummy, succulent, friendly, instead of the cold descriptors of anal, small tits, fisting, SheMale and handjobs.

3. Participation. Within the forum you are invited to share your voice regarding what you’d like to see and, if you are so inclined, can even make a sexy video to satisfy your inner exhibitionist. And half of all monies collected for a particular video go directly to the artists themselves. That is a huge shift from the way mainstream porn works, where producers and distributors take the lion’s share of profits.

Of course, Gallop sets firm boundaries to keep the content within the limits of ethics (no children, no animals) and taste (no scat). And it’s this part, knowing her edges, naming them and honoring them, that sets a tight, clear and safe container for play.

In fact, setting boundaries has been the biggest takeaway for me from this inquiry around porn.

It’s not that we are necessarily bad at sex or that porn is spiritually impure; our wounds go much deeper than that. We, as children, never felt safe enough to explore what we wanted and hid our sexuality as it grew and now, as adults, we have no clue how to set and maintain proper boundaries. As a result, in an effort to sidestep delving into our own shame and ignorance, our children are now denied their rights as sexually autonomous beings, as documented in Dana Northcraft’s excellent article “A Nation Scared: Children, Sex and the Denial of Humanity.”

I was lucky enough to have a mother who believed that if I was old enough to ask about sex, I was old enough to know about it. She never shielded me from proper anatomical terms, made up stories about storks or made me feel ‘wrong’ for asking direct questions. Through this level of respect, acceptance and personal freedom, I made educated sexual choices aligned with my personal integrity.

My belief is once we, as adults, cultivate a healing relationship with our sex and become masters of our own boundaries (without building walls), we can then encourage the sexual curiosity and development of our children in an open, safe and loving way. Then porn will no longer be this dirty, cryptic, calorie-deficient candy bar we stuff down to stop feeling our sexual hunger, but a tool for education, responsible play and maybe even a step towards spiritual growth.

Get our daily inspiration (free)

Candice Holdorf is a writer, performer, sex + life coach and Orgasmic Meditation trainer. She is currently working on her book, “From 6 to 9 and Beyond: Widening the Lens of Feminine Eroticism.” You can pre-order your copy here. She is a writer for elephantjournal and The Good Men Project, as well as a performer and public speaker specializing in desire, sexuality and Orgasmic Meditation. She is also a former yoga teacher and recovering anorexic who has discovered that there is tremendous power inside of hunger. Find out more about Candice on her blog, follow her on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

I'm glad to see this article on elephant – I think it is spot on – and I truly believe that society, especially in the United States is so closed minded and repressed. Maybe if more people would talk about porn, sex or share a naked video of a very attractive lady practicing yoga people in general would be more open and accepting of others. Regardless of what anyone thinks, Sara's downward facing dog and warrior poses are done correctly. Yes, I am a guy and the video is nice to watch, but she does the poses near perfect. Love the post!

"Maybe if more people would talk about porn, sex or share a naked video of a very attractive lady practicing yoga people in general would be more open and accepting of others."

Huh? How would this work exactly? Perhaps you could start a campaign called Unification Through Degradation? I agree, let's talk about sex openly, honestly, without inhibitions and often. But let's talk about it for real and from the heart, not through a lens of porn and selfishness.

You make a number of excellent points. As I delve into the topic of sexuality more I'm finding that many men do not know how to satisfy a woman, that they are, as you point out, coming from a porn-based approach.

I have a ways to go before I'm comfortable promoting porn outright, but I see a need to change our societal thoughts about it and strive for a more realistic, female-based point of view. Eager to check out some of the sites you've shared. Thank you.

Yes, and dont forget a roll of toilet paper/baby wipes…depending where your going..make copies,and leave passport etc, in your hotel 'vault" get a door lock sounder (dont know the name) at a travel store…to let you know if someone is comming in.know where your american consulate is located…dont walk away from a drink…someone can put something in it…dont carry more money or credit cards in your purse when going out….I always keep a 20.00 in my bra, for emergencies…and be careful on cruises…once in 96…the man stewart or what ever he was, just walked in to my cabin at 8am good thing I was awake and dressed!! then the next day, when I went back for my lipstick (am) there was the same guy…in my room!! when I finally debarked (I traveled alone) I noticed my perfume (new bottle of shalimar) was half empty!!! really? I was naive…should have made a stink…and when Id leave the room, two of the men (33 different countries,serving the ship) these two guys were eyeballing me…like I was a piece of meat,…with threatening undertones…guess Iam lucky to be alive…look at a few people that went missing on cruises,never to be seen again. Good Luck…ship was the viking serenade aug 97…there abouts.

There is a place where sexuality, is alright…and its called Paris….don't forget this country, these united states…is founded with puritans…,and I love the dutch people…just like europeans, they really love their children….and teach them early, about sexuality…so there not getting pregnant…at 15….statistically, the french, kiss and touch their children more than Americans…the children there are more stable…and mentally healthy….

Wow, this article knocked my socks off, and a few other pieces of clothing too. The problem with porn, if there is one, is that it comes out of a very messed up culture. I think Candice has made a lot of great points here and lead us to some very good resources. Here's to a more open society in every sense of the word.

Many people I've come across in "sex positive" communities seem to argue that there should be no limits on sexual expression. It seems to me that consent is often missing from such discussions. The word "consent" was not used in this article, and I was curious why that was the case.

I'm concerned that ethics be reduced to a conversation about "boundaries" which seems to me to make questions of good and bad, right and wrong into matters of taste.

I was the fourth teenaged boy in this situation, the one who did not participate because he thought it was wrong. The other boys sought to convince me to participate by rationalizing their behavior. So I suppose I am particularly sensitive to matters of ethics in sexual expression.

Sure there should be limits. All of life is, more or less, just about line and boundary drawing. I personally would draw the line at the example you posit Duff and I think most rational people would. This conversation, I think we can safely say, should be among consulting adults.

Are you positing a "sex negative" position Duff? Again, I cannot read this particular article, which I feel is quite good, and come away with the uneasy feelings you have. I would hope, and I deeply believe, that all articles posted on Elephant Journal assume consenting adults are involved and that there may be, among those people. sexual arrangements not sanctioned by the Vatican. If that assumption is wrong, I thank you for raising the question.

Thanks for clarifying Duff. I am truly sorry you had to experience that as a child. That must have been frightening and painful. I could feel some 'sensitivity' when you posited the original question.

And you are right to assume that not everyone has the same ethical limits or boundaries. When in doubt, ask questions. Mutual consent is always a must in my personal play and it is something I teach others.

My hope that through 'normalizing' sex and bringing it into everyday life and conversation, kids won't feel the need to act sexually subversive or violent towards each other or themselves. Through de-mystifying and de-shaming, more responsible and healthy decisions can be made. Kids might even feel free to (gasp) ask their parents or a trusted adult about something sexual when the questions arise and (since the adult will also feel freedom around their sex) won't squirm or brush it off or make the child feel bad for asking the question.

Fair enough. I'm in favor of such a society as well. Although I think a little squirming is reasonable and perhaps can't be avoided, especially when it comes to kids and sexuality.

I should clarify that all of the individuals in this scenario were underage, which brings up a lot of questions about what ethical principle should account for why we think it was wrong (if we think it is). Was it the age difference? Then should we lower the age of consent to account for this? At what age can someone *ethically* (not legally) give consent?

Or was it the group aspect? I think usually when we consider making the world a safer place for children to explore their sexuality, we don't like to think of underage kids having group sex. But it happens, and sometimes it is coerced.

The young men who engaged in this activity argued that they weren't hurting anyone and that it felt good, so therefore it was good. But I still felt that it was probably wrong. Was I simply being a prude?

That's a great question re: age of consent. In the piece I mention above (A Nation Scared) the author gives the example of the Netherlands, where the age of consent is 12 (special consideration is still kept though for kids between 12-16). Rate of teen pregnancy there is almost zero and they have easy access to contraception and comprehensive sex ed.

12 seems low to me, but I remember myself at that age, and yes, I was curious and experimenting.

Coersion, though, is not the same as curiosity.

You felt something out of integrity there. Perhaps it's not the 'what' but the 'how' that felt off.

Good inquiry for the future: how to encourage our children to recognize themselves as sexually autonomous beings as well as remain respectful of the responsibility that comes with this knowledge.

Yes, very difficult questions. Legally the age of consent varies from country to country, even state to state.

The words I would describe how I felt was that I felt something was wrong, not "out of integrity." It felt wrong, morally and ethically. But I couldn't articulate why, and I didn't actively stop what happened, for which I think I was also wrong to do nothing.

The average age in which boys come into contact now with hardcore video pornography on the internet is between 10 and 12 (depending on the source of the statistic). A large proportion of sexual videos available online depict violence of some sort according to one study. And at east some kids are acting out what they see in the videos.

It's all well and good to encourage adults to become connoisseurs of erotic imagery and seek out less violent and degrading, life-enhancing material. And I also think we should talk with kids more about sex and porn. And yet I can't help but think that there is something wrong with a 10 year old boy watching violent hardcore pornography. And maybe there is something wrong with a 30-year-old watching violent hardcore pornography too.

We have well-developed moral intuitions about pedophilia which most modern cultures (but not ancient ones) consider to be wrong, due to the issue of consent. But if it is unacceptable for a child to be sexually molested by an adult, what is it when a child comes across a violent pornographic video?

For these kinds of reasons, I can't wholeheartedly endorse ideas like "but what about all the good porn does."

I totally agree that a ten year old has no business watching a porn video, much like a ten year old has no business driving a car, drinking alcohol or owning a gun. These items carry a high level of responsibility and respect and a ten year old simply does not have the mental functioning to handle that.

That being said completely shielding him/her to the fact that people drive, drink, shoot or have sex is not quite the answer either.

I also think there is a difference between 'violent' porn and other porn. If what you are watching takes you further away from your heart and from conscious self-inquiry, perhaps it's time to look into what need this is serving. Often porn is used to numb ourselves sexually and intimately (like any addiction).

I hear your reasons and by no means do I expect you to suddenly become an advocate for something you don't agree with. Criticism and conflicting points of view are welcome and encouraged! They make for great conversation and for expanding our views of reality.

I respect Duffy's opinions here and he makes some very good points. Yet, somehow I can quite see how they link up to this particular article. I think we can all agree that the porn industry is a reflection of our very messed up society. I thought that the article was pointing us to some resources that have a completely different take on the phenomenon. I'm not advocating porn addiction, obviously, and there are some serious problems there. I dispute, however, the "study" that most pornography is "violent" unless your use of the term is so broad as to be useless.

[…] It must to a certain extent, as someone has to be thinking these things. Personally, I believe that people are tired of hiding their true feelings when it comes to this issue. They just want to be themselves. They want to be free. And I don’t […]

Montan-I respect Duffy's opinions here and he makes some very good points. Yet, somehow I can quite see how they link up to this particular article.-

I think his remarks are relevant. If embracing sexuality at a young age were to become a norm, parents would be obliged to discuss what behaviors are inappropriate. Else total acceptance of all aspects of sexuality at all ages becomes immoral.

[…] elephant columnist Candice Holdorf, I too imagine a society where sexuality is an acceptable part of everyday culture. I wanted to prompt us “aware” yogic types that this video offers us a myriad of gateways and […]

Sexual naysayers are people who question pornography? Hmm… funny I think people who advocate pornography are sexual naysayers. I love sex. It is perhaps the most sacred experience humanity was gifted with. Our sexuality is our humanity, our life force, our beautiful radiant soul, our connection to consciousness. And, as a slightly more awake than average human (toot, toot), I resent the idea that degrading, separatist pornography should represent my beautiful, precious, awesome, and innocent humanity.

Porn continues to fuel repression, not relieve it. It doesn't give an accurate depiction of innate (not learned) human sexuality – only continues to replay the same old tired patriarchal, repressed script of disordered desire and blatant misogyny. It gives us one version of what sex can be, not what it was really meant to be or even the way it's most soulful and healing. But thanks to our cultural standards regarding sexuality, many of us have a hard time imagining sex any other way.

Pornography not only enslaves the viewer but also perpetuates heinous victimization of real human beings by preying on the sexually abused and the economically less fortunate. It's a transient, empty experience that only helps us stay separate from each other. Which, ya know, is fine if you're not a big fan of the whole "oneness" thing. However, it's pretty hard to escape.

And lets not derail these arguments with twisted comments about moralization or judging people for how they deal with the bull shit of their lives. Life sucks, we reach out, sometimes we grab hold of the quickest feel-good thing around, we learn lessons, or we don't. We're still human and deserving of compassion. Judgment is irrelevant.

What's clear is that porn doesn't save anyone. It doesn't fix marriages or give people a ticket to leave sexual repression behind. Big Porn is a multi-billion dollar industry that eats people whole and drags human souls through offal infested pits of vapid gratification. It does cause addiction, it does ruin marriages, it does cause people to see women as less than human, it does scar the impressionable minds of children. These are indisputable facts that can not be ignored simply because someone wants to get their wank on. Whether or not we can truly blame pornography or a culture that continues to provide a demand for it is not the point. I don't care about blame. I care about humanity. It's more than clear that porn does more harm than anything else and should be viewed critically instead of eagerly consumed.

Question for the Dalai Lama: “What’s the most important meditation we can do now?”

Answer: “Critical thinking, followed by action. Discern what your world is. Know the plot, the scenario of this human drama. And then figure out where your talents might fit in to make a better world.”

People are not anti-porn because they are anti-sex. Neither are they all repressed, Christian prudes or whatever. Sex-positive does not equal porn-positive. Porn is not sex. People are against porn because they are against exploitation and avoidable human suffering. Please do more research on anti-porn material before condemning folks as sex naysayers for simply thinking critically about the dehumanizing pornography industry and advocating healthy sexual relationships built not on the power struggles or dominance and degradation we see in hard-core porn, but on true partnership.

I agree with Lisab..Porn is not sex..the boundaries between have become disorientated, I believe porn does not offer anything positive for society, there is a total disconnect from the 'performers' and the voyeurs and the consequences of it. I have witnessed many relationships around me disintegrate where porn has tried to be 'normalised' – their perceptions change and a partnership can no longer exist. Many women feel they are out of control of their own bodies – men begin to apply porn within their everyday lives, projecting onto strangers, to friends, to their partners, without consent – the perception of women as just fellow humans is skewed. Honestly I could not think of a society more horrifying.